Breaking Even
by ChelzToddBrooke
Summary: It was a day full of ups and downs, but in the end they broke even. Fluffly family piece. Sequel to "Flashbacks". Flack/Angell


**A/N: Sorry it has been so long since I've written. I have een really busy graduating college and such :) Anyway...more Flack/Angell**

**I own nothing :)**

* * *

Maeli stood at the edge of her parent's bedroom, tiredly staring at her father's sleeping form. Her mom had already left for work. Jess was gone early every morning, even more so now that Don was injured. For another moment, Maeli contemplated joining her dad before officially deciding on it. She knew she had to be careful even if her daddy was pretty much walking on his own again.

Don welcomed the intrusion of his daughter's small warm body burrowing against him. He'd noticed her presence at the door moments earlier, like any good father and cop would.

"Hey bug," he mumbled, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her hair. A small smile graced his features as she curled into his chest in a way she hadn't in a long time. Too long for his liking if he was honest with himself. Between his injuries and Jess being pregnant, Maeli was not getting as much affection as she was used to. Surprisingly, the child was handling it well.

Maeli was awake again an hour or so later. She crawled out of Don's arms and knelt next to him on the bed with every intention of waking him up.

"Daddy?" she tried.

"What?" he replied promptly, reaching out to tickle her. She shrieked in surprise and broke into a fit of giggles. Apparently, her dad was already awake. Don pulled Maeli into his lap, so she was straddling his hips. "Good morning, beautiful girl," he grinned as she brushed her dark curls out of her face. He watched her brow wrinkle. "What?" he wondered.

"You didn't call me bug," she mentioned. Don laughed softly.

"I did when you first came in here," he pointed out, having no idea the nickname meant so much to her.

"Oh," Maeli replied, looking somewhat forlorn.

"Good morning, bug," Don corrected himself. A smile lit up her face. She took her tiny pointer finger and traced the contours of her dad's chest. She stopped when her fingers ran across something abnormal. His scar. Don tensed as he watched Maeli further scrutinize what her fingers just discovered. He's never discussed his scar with her, in fact he wasn't really sure she'd ever seen it before. If she had, she either didn't realize it wasn't normal, or wasn't curious enough to ask. He assumed someday they would talk about it, he just wasn't sure she was old enough.

"Daddy, what is this?" she asked.

"It's a scar, sweetheart," he replied, deciding to let her lead the conversation.

"What's it from?" Maeli wondered.

"Well, I got hurt at work a long long time ago and the doctor's had to sew me back up so my insides wouldn't fall out," Don went with a mostly PG response.

"Did you have to go to the hospital?" she questioned her fingers still investigating the scar.

"I did, I was there for a few days," Don nodded. "You know, Mac and Mommy both have scars too," he changed the subject.

"Really? Where?" Maeli asked curiously.

"Well, Mac's is right here," Don started, pointing to the approximate location on his chest where Mac's shrapnel scar sat. "and Mommy's is right here," he finished, pointing towards a spot just below his ribs on the right side where Jess had been stabbed just after Maeli was born.

"Daddy, I have another question," she stated.

"Ok, what is it?" he wondered.

"Will you still love me when the baby is born?" Maeli asked, her expression very serious. Don's eyes widened.

"Of course, sweetheart. What makes you think we wouldn't?" he wanted to rid all this doubt she was having.

"A girl at school said you and Mommy would be too busy and you'd forget all about me," she explained.

"Is it the same girl that's been giving you a hard time?" the father wondered. He had every intention of dealing with the actual issue, he just wanted to know where it was coming from. Maeli nodded. "Honey, she's just trying to bug you," he reminded. They'd been over this before.

"I know but…" Maeli started.

"We've been pretty busy though, huh?" Don realized. Maeli nodded again. They had been busy. Jess was working like crazy. Don was in therapy and they were both in the process of trying to find a house. "I'm sorry, bug. You just need to let us know if we're getting too busy and we'll slow down, ok?" he allowed. "But I'll tell you what, you and I have all day together today," he added quickly.

"Can we go to the park?" she asked excitedly.

"I would love to bug, but we can't yet. I still can't drive," Don replied sadly.

"Oh, then can we have breakfast? I'm hungry," Maeli mentioned with a small pout. Don laughed lightly. Of course she was hungry, hell he was hungry and in their household it was "like father, like daughter".

"Breakfast it is," he agreed. Maeli scrambled off of him and towards the bedroom door. She turned back and looked at her father expectantly.

"You know I can't move that fast, bug," he chuckled. She threw her hands up in impatience and walked out of the room. "Ok, I'll meet you there," he called after her. He eased out of bed and gingerly put some weight on his bad leg. He could pretty much walk on his own, however his knee was pretty locked up in the mornings. He limped down the hallway to make breakfast for his hungry child.

* * *

Don and Maeli spent the remainder of the day doing whatever she wished and every inch of the apartment showed evidence of it. Jess sighed when she opened to door and took in the sight before her. There were dishes in the sink, food scattered across the counter, and toys piled in the living room. It was too late to have to deal with this. She had been a work for the better part of the last eighteen hours. She set a hand on her belly as she felt the baby move.

"I know kid, Mommy is exhausted. You need to talk to your daddy and sister about this one," she whispered as she moved around the apartment, trying to restore order.

Jess nearly groaned out loud when she found Don and Maeli asleep in the master bedroom. All she wanted to do was fall into bed for hours, but the current guest in bed was going to hinder that plan. For a moment she thought about bunking down in Maeli's room, but she was five months pregnant. It made no sense to be trying to sleep in Maeli's twin bed.

"Don," she called. He shifted slightly and stared at her from a moment.

"Oh, Jess, when did you get home?" Don wondered, peering at the clock.

"half hour ago, I had to clean the apartment," she mentioned, shooting him a look.

"I'm sorry, things got a little out of hand," he replied sincerely.

"Please keep things clean hon, I worked sixteen hours today and I am pregnant with your child. I shouldn't have to clean up as well," she reminded.

"I know, and I am really sorry, you should have just left it, I swear I would have gotten it in the morning," Don felt terribly guilty.

"Between getting Maeli to school and getting ready for your doctor's appointment?" Jess joked.

"Ok, ok, sorry," Don repeated.

"Speaking of Maeli, why is she in our bed?" Jess asked. Don looked at her like she had three heads until he realized Maeli was in fact in bed with him.

"We must have fallen asleep watching a movie, I'll take her to her room," Don offered.

"Don, you can't carry her and neither can I, she'll just have to stay put," Jess sighed.

"Then wake her up," he suggested.

"She has school in the morning, you might as well let her sleep," Jess decided, pulling one of his t-shirts over her head and crawling under the covers. Don laid there for a second, then got out of bed and limped around to Jess's side.

"Jess," he whispered, reaching out run a hand through her hair.

"What do you need?" she replied, not even opening her eyes.

"You, my stunning pregnant wife, have been gone all day, and you come in and go to bed without so much as a kiss," he pouted. She opened her eyes to look at him.

"You are needy," she laughed.

"Just one kiss," he begged.

"Fine, then will you let your poor pregnant wife sleep?" she teased.

"I think it was 'stunning', but sure," he smiled, giving her a gentle kiss. "Goodnight," he added.

"Goodnight," she replied, snuggling back into the bed.

* * *

As a courtesy to Jess, Don got Maeli up and ready for school. He let his wife stay in bed until she had to be up to take him to the doctor. The least he could do was let her enjoy at least part of her day off.

Jess slowly got out of bed and opted for a hot shower. She had Don's doctor's appointment, then hopefully he would be cleared to drive again and she would get to rest for the remainder of the day. To be honest, she didn't feel real well. She hadn't for the last week, but she just figured it was because she had been working long hours and she just needed time to recoup before another long week.

The doctor was discussing the terms in which Don could return to work. He has been cleared to drive and authorized to work desk duty. He couldn't return to the field until he was more stable on his feet. Either way, Jess could cut back on the number of shifts she kept picking up. Out of the corner of his eye, Don notice Jess shift against the wall. Her complexion had gone completely white.

"Jess…" he started.

"Don, I don't…" she was trying to tell him she didn't feel good, but a wave of nausea and light headedness overcame her. "I don't…" she tried again, but still couldn't articulate this. This time she really felt like she was going to pass out. Don watched as she began to sway. He hopped of the exam table, his back knee sending shooting pain through his leg, but he didn't care. He reached out a caught her before she fell.

"Jess!" he yelled. She just slumped against him. He slid a hand down to her abdomen, the baby was moving like crazy. "Jess, baby, come on, wake up," he begged. He turned to look around at the doctor.

"Let's get her to the maternity ward," he instructed. Don nodded.

Whatever happened next was a blur to Don. Jess was wheeled to maternity and all sorts of test were done. By the time Don could process anything, Jess was in a hospital bed hooked up to an IV, resting comfortably. He took her hand and took a seat next to the bed. He rubbed a finger across her hand as he listened to his wife and baby's heart beat ringing out in the quiet room.

"Mr. Flack?" A female doctor asked softly. He turned to look at her.

"I just wanted to take the opportunity to recap everything we have gone over, and give you a little more information as to what happened," she continued.

"I would appreciate that," he mentioned.

"Well, both mom and baby are doing fine, what appears to have happened is Jess's blood pressure was elevated and actually spiked earlier for one reason or another, sending the baby into a state of distress. Jess is also showing signs of fatigue and minor dehydration, neither a real positive thing for a pregnant woman. We would like to keep her in a bed for at least a couple hours to get her blood pressure back down and her fluid levels up. If things look good by the end of the day, she can go home, if not she will have to stay overnight. Also, I have talked with her normal OBGYN and after discussing some of the problems she had early on in this pregnancy with the extreme morning sickness as well as the line of work she is in, it has been recommended that she be put on complete bed rest for the following month. Both her and the baby need the rest, and the relaxed environment," the doctor informed. Don took a minute to absorb all of the information.

"Thank you, doctor, I assume Jess knows all of this already?" he checked.

"Yeah, we told her when we put in her IV," she replied before leaving the room. As the door clicked shut, Jess stirred just a little. She was so tired, just trying to open her eyes was a feat.

"Don?" she asked.

"Yeah, baby," he replied.

"I'm sorry," she breathed, still not really awake.

"Sweetheart, you have nothing to be sorry for, just get your rest. I'm going to pick up Maeli from school. We'll be back in a couple hours. Get some sleep," Don planned. Jess just nodded slightly. He gave her a quick kiss. Before he left though, he rubbed a hand over her belly. "Hey baby, you scared the hell out of Daddy today. I'm glad you're ok now, and I am going to do everything in my power to make sure you stay that way," he promised.

"Watch your language," Jess mumbled.

"Sorry," he whispered with a soft smile before taking his leave.

* * *

Don picked up Maeli at school and took her right to the lab, not only did he have some papers to sign about his return to work, but he also needed to talk to someone.

"We're going to see Mac?" Maeli asked excitedly.

"We are," he smiled.

"Is Mommy there?" she wondered. Don swallowed thickly. He was not ready for that question.

"No sweetie, we'll see Mommy later," he dismissed.

Don hobbled after his daughter as she ran towards Mac's office.

Mac saw the little girl running towards his office. He quickly rounded his desk and caught her as she came flying through the glass doors.

"Maeli, sweetheart, it's so good to see you!" he exclaimed.

"My daddy can drive again!" she informed.

"That's very good news," Mac smiled.

"We're sure happy about it," Don mentioned, stepping into the office. Mac noticed something slightly less than genuine about Flack's smile. "Do you mind watching her while I go talk to my CO and fill out some paper work?" he asked.

"No problem, I am sure she would love to see everyone at the lab," Mac mentioned, shooting Maeli a look. Maeli smiled broadly.

"Behave, and I will be back soon," Don mentioned before leaving.

"Mac, Daddy said you have a scar on your chest," Maeli stated after her father left. Mac faltered for a moment, wondering where that came from.

"I do, honey," he opted, not really knowing where else to go with that conversation.

"You know, Daddy has a scar too, and so does Mommy," Maeli noted. Mac nodded. She must have seen Don's scar from the explosion.

"Why don't we go see Stella?" Mac quickly changed the subject. Maeli nodded excitedly. Mac laughed and carried her down the hall to Stella's office.

When Don got back to Mac's office, he was surprised to find Mac alone.

"Where's Maeli?" he asked.

"She's in Stella's office with, I'm sure, most of my staff," Mac chuckled. "You look like you need someone to talk to," he added, still reading Don's overt body language. Don released a slow breath and pulled his thoughts together.

"Jess has been put on bed rest," he started. Mac arched an eyebrow. "She had some kind of an episode at my doctor's appointment today, and is in the hospital," he continued.

"Right now?" Mac checked. Don nodded.

"If everything goes well, they are sending her home tonight," he sighed.

"Well, what happened? Is the baby ok?" Mac wanted a little more information.

"Yeah, everything is fine. The doctor said she just needs rest," Don answered.

"Then she is going to be just fine. I understand that you are freaked out by whatever happened today and that's ok. She is your wife, carrying your child. But tomorrow when you step back from all that has gone on today, it's not going to seem so bad. She's going to be at home in bed, where let's face it, every man would like to keep his pregnant wife from the moment he finds out they're having a baby," Mac finished with a chuckle.

"I guess I never looked at it that way," Don mused. "Maeli doesn't know yet," he mentioned.

"You just tell her Jess isn't feeling good, it's not going the make a bit of difference to her," Mac replied.

"Thanks Mac," Don managed a small smile.

"No problem, just keep me updated," Mac finished.

Don leaned against the doorframe of Stella's office, watching his daughter, nestled in Stella's lap, listening to Adam tell a story.

"Bug," he started softly as the story came to an end.

"Daddy!" Maeli squealed, jumping off of Stella's lap.

"We've got to go see Mommy," he smiled, bringing her to his hip. It was nice to be able to hold her again.

"Don, it's good to see you back," Stella mentioned.

"It's good to be back," he smiled. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to get home," he mentioned.

"Ok, bye guys. Maeli, I hope you stop by again sometime," Adam smiled, moving past them to get back to work.

* * *

"Daddy, is Mommy in the hospital?" Maeli asked as they walked into the lobby.

"She is Bug, she wasn't feeling good, so the doctor wanted to see her," Don explained simply.

"Oh, well maybe the doctor made her feel better," Maeli mentioned hopefully.

"I hope so," Don smiled.

When they got to the room, Jess looked much better than she had when he left. Not to mention, she was wide awake. Don breathed a sigh of relief.

"I was wondering if you were coming back for me," she greeted her family.

"We wouldn't leave you here," Don laughed, setting Maeli down on the bed.

"Do you feel better, Mommy?" she asked.

"I sure do baby, and guess what?" Jess smiled.

"What?" Maeli wondered.

"You're going to get a brother," Jess whispered. Maeli's eyes went wide.

"A brother!" she gasped, looking at her mother, and then turning to look at her father. A rush of emotion flooded Don. Jess gave him an anxious look, wondering how he felt about their news. However, his face said everything. It was a look she had seen before. The same look he had on his face not only both times she told him she was pregnant, but also the first time he held Maeli. It was a positive look.

"What do you think, Daddy?" Jess asked slowly. Don stepped closer to the bed and slid his hand around her belly. He took a deep breath.

"A boy," he smiled.

"You're mom is going to be happy," Jess laughed, starting to cry.

"She is," he chuckled, wiping her eyes and kissing her forehead. "What do you think Bug? You're going to have a little brother," Don asked.

"Well, I have lots of practice. I helped take care of Aaron a lot," Maeli said with a firm nod.

"You did, baby and you're going to have to help me with your brother," Jess replied.

"Um, excuse me, the doctor has cleared you to go home," a nurse mentioned softly.

"Thank you very much," Jess replied.

"A nurse will be up with a wheel chair momentarily," the nurse added before leaving.

"A wheelchair," Jess groaned.

"Jess," Don warned.

"I know, I know," she conceded.

* * *

Just over an hour later, the Flack family had returned to their apartment. They had picked up dinner on their way home so Don left Maeli with Jess in the bedroom so they could eat and went to get some ice for his knee. He had definitely over done it that day. Even on restricted duty, he wouldn't have been on his feet as much.

"Are you ok, hon?" Jess asked as she watched her husband reenter the room with a more pronounced limp than he's had all day.

"Nothing a little ice can't fix," he smiled, holding up the ice pack. He sat down on his side of the bed and stretched out his sore leg. "Bug, you want to hand me my sandwich?" he asked. Maeli grabbed the bag and handed it to her father. "Thank you, honey," he smiled, opening his meal. Maeli crawled up the bed between her parents.

"This is like a picnic," she observed.

"It sure is," Jess agreed.

"I like it," Don mentioned, giving Maeli a light squeeze and leaning over to kiss Jess. As he watched his family finish dinner, he realized Mac was right. As soon as the drama settled down, everything didn't seem so bad. Yes, what happened earlier in the day scared him to death, but Jess was ok and so was his son. His son! He couldn't believe it. When he thought about it, with as much that went wrong with the day, just as much went right. He was cleared for work and they found out they were having a boy. All and all they broke even.


End file.
